Sat, 16 Jan 2010 18:17:37 GMT
A damning Turkish motion picture, aimed at depicting the "Israeli crimes against humanity," is set to further alienate Ankara from Tel Aviv.
The movie would "depict Israel as it is - with bloody hands, merciless... flouting all human values," against a backdrop of the Palestinian suffering in the blockaded Gaza Strip, the national daily Vatan quoted Turkish scriptwriter Bahadir Ozdener as saying, according to an AFP report.
"What we do is fiction,” said Ozdener. “But what about what they do, their crimes against humanity? They are real."
Tel Aviv took issue with Ankara over the "Valley of the Wolves" - the TV series boasting Ozdener's contribution which, besides other patriotic depictions, featured the emancipation of a Turkish boy captured by the Israeli intelligence apparatus, Mossad.
Reacting to the series, Israel called Turkish ambassador Oguz Celikkol to account, seating him on a low couch and removing the Turkish flag from the table of discussion. Celikkol was later quoted by the Anatolia news agency as denouncing the humiliating treatment as one "that will go down in the books of diplomatic history," AFP added.
Downplaying the Israeli ire at the matter, Ozdener said, "It is Israel who must show remorse.... If they cannot see themselves in the mirror, we know how to hold the mirror to their face."
The bilateral relations took a mortal blow after Israel brought the Gaza Strip under heavy aerial, artillery and naval bombardments at the turn of the year.
In October, Ankara canceled a military exercise with Israel in denunciation of the raids which killed more than 1,400 Palestinians, mostly civilians.
Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan later criticized the international community for seeking to incriminate Islam while Israel was committing war crimes in Gaza.
Showing posts with label Beelad As-Shams section. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Beelad As-Shams section. Show all posts
Sunday, January 17, 2010
Hezbollah warns Israel against launching new war
First Published 2010-01-15
Lebanon's Nasrallah: Israel again beating drums of war to try to restore its military's reputation.
BEIRUT - Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah said Friday he was confident that any new conflict with Israel would see his powerful group emerge victorious and change the face of the region.
"I promise you, in view of all the threats you hear today... that should a new war with the Zionists erupt, we will crush the enemy, come out victorious and change the face of the region," he said via video link to an Arab and international forum for resistance movements in Beirut.
"The future of this region is the resistance, dignity, freedom," Nasrallah told an audience that included representatives from Iran, Syria and other countries, as well as Hamas's exiled leader Khaled Meshaal.
"God willing, Israel, the occupation, hegemony and arrogance are in the process of disappearing."
Nasrallah said that Israel was again beating the drums of war to try to restore its military's reputation as an invincible regional force.
Israel waged a bloody 34-day war on Lebanon in the summer of 2006 after Hezbollah fighters seized two Israeli soldiers in a deadly cross-border raid that aimed to free Lebanese soldiers from Israeli prisons. The bodies of the soldiers were returned in a prisoner swap.
The war claimed the lives of more than 1,200 people in Lebanon, most of them civilians, and more than 160 Israelis, most of them soldiers.
Hezbollah, originally a resistance group formed to counter an Israeli occupation of south Lebanon, had forced the Israeli military out of Lebanon in 2000. Israel, however, continues to occupy the Lebanese Shabaa Farms.
Israeli flights over Lebanon occur on an almost daily basis and are in breach of UN Security Council resolution 1710, which in August 2006 ended the war.
Lebanon's Nasrallah: Israel again beating drums of war to try to restore its military's reputation.
BEIRUT - Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah said Friday he was confident that any new conflict with Israel would see his powerful group emerge victorious and change the face of the region.
"I promise you, in view of all the threats you hear today... that should a new war with the Zionists erupt, we will crush the enemy, come out victorious and change the face of the region," he said via video link to an Arab and international forum for resistance movements in Beirut.
"The future of this region is the resistance, dignity, freedom," Nasrallah told an audience that included representatives from Iran, Syria and other countries, as well as Hamas's exiled leader Khaled Meshaal.
"God willing, Israel, the occupation, hegemony and arrogance are in the process of disappearing."
Nasrallah said that Israel was again beating the drums of war to try to restore its military's reputation as an invincible regional force.
Israel waged a bloody 34-day war on Lebanon in the summer of 2006 after Hezbollah fighters seized two Israeli soldiers in a deadly cross-border raid that aimed to free Lebanese soldiers from Israeli prisons. The bodies of the soldiers were returned in a prisoner swap.
The war claimed the lives of more than 1,200 people in Lebanon, most of them civilians, and more than 160 Israelis, most of them soldiers.
Hezbollah, originally a resistance group formed to counter an Israeli occupation of south Lebanon, had forced the Israeli military out of Lebanon in 2000. Israel, however, continues to occupy the Lebanese Shabaa Farms.
Israeli flights over Lebanon occur on an almost daily basis and are in breach of UN Security Council resolution 1710, which in August 2006 ended the war.
Thursday, January 14, 2010
Blast near Israeli convoy in Jordan
Thursday, January 14, 2010
A bomb has exploded near a convoy of cars carrying Israeli diplomats in Jordan, without causing injuries.
The incident occurred close to the Allenby Bridge that links Jordan and the Israeli occupied Palestinian West Bank at about 5pm (1500GMT) on Thursday, Israeli army radio said.
Danny Nevo, Israel's ambassador to Jordan, was not in any of the vehicles that were travelling from Amman, the Jordanian capital, at the time, Israeli officials said.
There was no immediate claim of responsibility.
"While cars, including two Israeli Embassy cars, were travelling near the town of Naur on the road between Amman and the Jordan Valley a bomb exploded without causing casualties or damage. The cars were not damaged by the blast," Nabil Sharif, the information minister, said.
Jordanian officials said that they were investigating the incident.
Neighbourly relations
Al Jazeera's Nisreen al-Shamyleh, at the site of the attacks, said: "This took place near the King Hussein Bridge, also called Allenby in Israel, on the Jordanian side.
"Right now security is heavy in this area.
"Security personnel and police are on the road trying to identify the explosive material. There is some damage to the road."
Al-Shamyleh said it could have implications for relations between the two nations if it was found that the Israeli convoy was the target of the attack.
"What it means is diplomats are being watched. People know their movements and to a certain extent know how to target them. So it has implications for Israeli diplomats' safety," she said.
Al-Shamyleh added that it was unknown what kind of explosives or bomb was used as yet.
Palestinian sympathy
Jordan signed a peace treaty with Israel in 1994 - the second Arab state to do so after Egypt.
However, the treaty is widely rejected by the Jordanian population. Up to 60 per cent of Jordan's population is of Palestinian origin.
Jacky Rowland, Al Jazeera's correspondent in Jerusalem, said: "Relations have been cool at best, hostile at worst since the peace treaty was signed just over 15 years ago.
"Obviously there is a lot of sympathy and empathy in Jordan with the Palestinian people in the occupied territories.
"I think the point at which relations really started to cool was as people in Jordan really saw that no progress was being made in efforts to have a peace treaty between Israel and Palestinians.
"Then, relations hit an all-time low with the Israeli crackdown on the Palestinian uprising which began in 2000, and since then the Israeli seige on Gaza and the war on Gaza just over year ago.
"In a recent opinion poll in Jordan not a single person interviewed gave Israel a favourable rating or said they were willing to accept Israel or engage with it in any way."
The Allenby/King Hussein Bridge is 50km west of Amman.
Source: Al Jazeera and agencies
A bomb has exploded near a convoy of cars carrying Israeli diplomats in Jordan, without causing injuries.
The incident occurred close to the Allenby Bridge that links Jordan and the Israeli occupied Palestinian West Bank at about 5pm (1500GMT) on Thursday, Israeli army radio said.
Danny Nevo, Israel's ambassador to Jordan, was not in any of the vehicles that were travelling from Amman, the Jordanian capital, at the time, Israeli officials said.
There was no immediate claim of responsibility.
"While cars, including two Israeli Embassy cars, were travelling near the town of Naur on the road between Amman and the Jordan Valley a bomb exploded without causing casualties or damage. The cars were not damaged by the blast," Nabil Sharif, the information minister, said.
Jordanian officials said that they were investigating the incident.
Neighbourly relations
Al Jazeera's Nisreen al-Shamyleh, at the site of the attacks, said: "This took place near the King Hussein Bridge, also called Allenby in Israel, on the Jordanian side.
"Right now security is heavy in this area.
"Security personnel and police are on the road trying to identify the explosive material. There is some damage to the road."
Al-Shamyleh said it could have implications for relations between the two nations if it was found that the Israeli convoy was the target of the attack.
"What it means is diplomats are being watched. People know their movements and to a certain extent know how to target them. So it has implications for Israeli diplomats' safety," she said.
Al-Shamyleh added that it was unknown what kind of explosives or bomb was used as yet.
Palestinian sympathy
Jordan signed a peace treaty with Israel in 1994 - the second Arab state to do so after Egypt.
However, the treaty is widely rejected by the Jordanian population. Up to 60 per cent of Jordan's population is of Palestinian origin.
Jacky Rowland, Al Jazeera's correspondent in Jerusalem, said: "Relations have been cool at best, hostile at worst since the peace treaty was signed just over 15 years ago.
"Obviously there is a lot of sympathy and empathy in Jordan with the Palestinian people in the occupied territories.
"I think the point at which relations really started to cool was as people in Jordan really saw that no progress was being made in efforts to have a peace treaty between Israel and Palestinians.
"Then, relations hit an all-time low with the Israeli crackdown on the Palestinian uprising which began in 2000, and since then the Israeli seige on Gaza and the war on Gaza just over year ago.
"In a recent opinion poll in Jordan not a single person interviewed gave Israel a favourable rating or said they were willing to accept Israel or engage with it in any way."
The Allenby/King Hussein Bridge is 50km west of Amman.
Source: Al Jazeera and agencies
Turkish Foreign Minister: No dialogue with Israel until it ends the occupation and stops killings
By Mehmet Nedim Aslan
Turkey’s Foreign Minister, Ahmet Davutoğlu, has made his strongest criticism yet of Israel and its policies. After talks with his British counterpart David Miliband at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office in London, the two ministers held a joint press conference during which Mr Davutoğlu answered questions about his country’s lukewarm relations with Israel. Asked whether Turkey’s criticism of Israel was attributed to a policy of “Islamisation”, Mr. Davutoğlu denied the existence of any such policy and said that Turkey had worked actively for regional peace; indeed, until 2008 Turkey had had very good relations with Israel, even to the point of bringing it to the same table with Syria. The war in Gaza a year ago changed this, said Mr. Davutoğlu. “By attacking Palestinians in Gaza, Israel ruined our peace efforts and we cannot tolerate this. Attacking children and women is unacceptable,” he added.
Davutoğlu emphasised that his country’s relations would not be normalised as long as Israel is occupying and attacking Palestine. “If Israel ends its occupation and unacceptable treatment of Palestinians, then we will be ready the next day for normalised and good relations,” he said. “Turkey’s foreign policy is based on equality both with its neighbouring countries and others. A Jewish kid is not superior to a Palestinian kid. Both should be treated as equal. This is our vision for the region.”
Later, Mr. Davutoğlu gave a speech at London University’s King’s College on the topic “Converging Interests of Turkey and the UK in an enlarged EU and beyond”. Answering questions from the audience afterwards the Foreign Minister was asked why Turkey has close relations with “extremists such as Iran and HAMAS”. Emphasising again his country’s commitment to regional and global peace, Mr. Davutoğlu pointed out that HAMAS had been elected by the popular vote and those in the West who lecture the rest of the world on democracy should respect the Palestinians’ choice. He added, “The Palestinian election was the most democratic and transparent election held in the region and the Palestinians elected HAMAS. There is no such thing as ‘moderates and extremists’. When you occupy a land and kill its people you leave them no choice but hopelessness. One cannot call a country moderate which kills Palestinian children and women every day.”
Mr. Davutoğlu also criticised the US former President George Bush’s Middle East policy that labelled Iran and Syria members of the ‘axis of evil’. “We don’t want a Cold War in our region. We don’t believe that the use of military force and a policy of isolating countries will bring peace. The only way to bring peace to the region and the world is to be inclusive, not exclusive, and this is what Turkey has been working on. That’s why Turkey has good relations both with HAMAS and Iran. Anything that happens on our doorstep affects us, so our vision is to minimise tension and bring countries together politically, socially and economically.”
Turkey’s Foreign Minister, Ahmet Davutoğlu, has made his strongest criticism yet of Israel and its policies. After talks with his British counterpart David Miliband at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office in London, the two ministers held a joint press conference during which Mr Davutoğlu answered questions about his country’s lukewarm relations with Israel. Asked whether Turkey’s criticism of Israel was attributed to a policy of “Islamisation”, Mr. Davutoğlu denied the existence of any such policy and said that Turkey had worked actively for regional peace; indeed, until 2008 Turkey had had very good relations with Israel, even to the point of bringing it to the same table with Syria. The war in Gaza a year ago changed this, said Mr. Davutoğlu. “By attacking Palestinians in Gaza, Israel ruined our peace efforts and we cannot tolerate this. Attacking children and women is unacceptable,” he added.
Davutoğlu emphasised that his country’s relations would not be normalised as long as Israel is occupying and attacking Palestine. “If Israel ends its occupation and unacceptable treatment of Palestinians, then we will be ready the next day for normalised and good relations,” he said. “Turkey’s foreign policy is based on equality both with its neighbouring countries and others. A Jewish kid is not superior to a Palestinian kid. Both should be treated as equal. This is our vision for the region.”
Later, Mr. Davutoğlu gave a speech at London University’s King’s College on the topic “Converging Interests of Turkey and the UK in an enlarged EU and beyond”. Answering questions from the audience afterwards the Foreign Minister was asked why Turkey has close relations with “extremists such as Iran and HAMAS”. Emphasising again his country’s commitment to regional and global peace, Mr. Davutoğlu pointed out that HAMAS had been elected by the popular vote and those in the West who lecture the rest of the world on democracy should respect the Palestinians’ choice. He added, “The Palestinian election was the most democratic and transparent election held in the region and the Palestinians elected HAMAS. There is no such thing as ‘moderates and extremists’. When you occupy a land and kill its people you leave them no choice but hopelessness. One cannot call a country moderate which kills Palestinian children and women every day.”
Mr. Davutoğlu also criticised the US former President George Bush’s Middle East policy that labelled Iran and Syria members of the ‘axis of evil’. “We don’t want a Cold War in our region. We don’t believe that the use of military force and a policy of isolating countries will bring peace. The only way to bring peace to the region and the world is to be inclusive, not exclusive, and this is what Turkey has been working on. That’s why Turkey has good relations both with HAMAS and Iran. Anything that happens on our doorstep affects us, so our vision is to minimise tension and bring countries together politically, socially and economically.”
Thursday, January 7, 2010
Israeli war game eyes Gaza 'occupation'
Thu, 07 Jan 2010 10:00:30 GMT
Tel Aviv is conducting war games in the Negev desert, in what appears to be preparation for a new offensive on the Hamas-run Gaza Strip.
An Israeli TV channel reported the military drills on Thursday, saying the rightist government led by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is likely gearing up for a massive attack on Gaza shortly after the anniversary of the deadly Gaza onslaught last year.
It further revealed that Tel Aviv plans to occupy the entire coastal enclave this time to compensate for the failure to overthrow Hamas, the democratically elected ruler of the Gaza Strip.
The Israeli army is said to be practicing to forestall the mistakes which led to the deaths of several of its soldiers during the last offensive, the poor handling of which cost Tel Aviv severe criticism at home and forced senior army officials to resign.
The report added that Israeli tanks have been equipped with a new system able to identify friendly units operating in the battlefield — even when they are among civilians.
The 22-day Israeli offensive last year saw weeks of relentless air, land and sea incursions against the Palestinians in Gaza. It left more than 1,400 people, including hundreds of women and children, dead.
It also devastated a large part of the infrastructure in the impoverished coastal sliver which has been under an Israeli blockade since 2007.
Israel has recently stepped up saber-rattling against the Palestinians in Gaza, with Israeli planes dropping thousands of leaflets across Gaza in December, urging Gazans against cooperating with the resistance fighters based in the region, and threatening a new attack.
Tel Aviv is conducting war games in the Negev desert, in what appears to be preparation for a new offensive on the Hamas-run Gaza Strip.
An Israeli TV channel reported the military drills on Thursday, saying the rightist government led by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is likely gearing up for a massive attack on Gaza shortly after the anniversary of the deadly Gaza onslaught last year.
It further revealed that Tel Aviv plans to occupy the entire coastal enclave this time to compensate for the failure to overthrow Hamas, the democratically elected ruler of the Gaza Strip.
The Israeli army is said to be practicing to forestall the mistakes which led to the deaths of several of its soldiers during the last offensive, the poor handling of which cost Tel Aviv severe criticism at home and forced senior army officials to resign.
The report added that Israeli tanks have been equipped with a new system able to identify friendly units operating in the battlefield — even when they are among civilians.
The 22-day Israeli offensive last year saw weeks of relentless air, land and sea incursions against the Palestinians in Gaza. It left more than 1,400 people, including hundreds of women and children, dead.
It also devastated a large part of the infrastructure in the impoverished coastal sliver which has been under an Israeli blockade since 2007.
Israel has recently stepped up saber-rattling against the Palestinians in Gaza, with Israeli planes dropping thousands of leaflets across Gaza in December, urging Gazans against cooperating with the resistance fighters based in the region, and threatening a new attack.
Turks protest Egypt's attack on Viva Palestina
Wed, 06 Jan 2010 10:56:56 GMT
Thousands of angry protesters in Turkey have staged a demonstration in the city of Istanbul to condemn the Egyptian police crackdown on a Gaza-bound aid convoy.
At least 55 people were injured in clashes that broke out between riot police and Viva Palestina activists at the Egyptian port of El-Arish on Tuesday, after Egypt said it would not allow 59 trucks for the relief convoy to enter the blockaded Gaza Strip.
Following the incident, Turkish protesters poured into streets and assembled in front of the Egyptian consulate in Istanbul on Wednesday.
They carried flags of Palestine and chanted slogans in condemnation of Cairo's use of force against the human rights activists and Israel's ongoing siege of the Palestinian coastal enclave.
Led by British politician George Galloway, Viva Palestina has over 200 vehicles laden with basic food items and medical supplies, and is set to break Israel's months-long closure of the Gaza Strip.
Earlier, Cairo had said it would only permit 157 members of the convoy to drive to Gaza, but later agreed to allow the group's 400 volunteers to enter the impoverished Palestinian territory.
The Egyptian government's denial of entry for Viva Palestina trucks came despite talks in which a delegation of Turkish lawmakers sought to convince Cairo officials to open its border to Gaza for the aid convoy.
Thousands of angry protesters in Turkey have staged a demonstration in the city of Istanbul to condemn the Egyptian police crackdown on a Gaza-bound aid convoy.
At least 55 people were injured in clashes that broke out between riot police and Viva Palestina activists at the Egyptian port of El-Arish on Tuesday, after Egypt said it would not allow 59 trucks for the relief convoy to enter the blockaded Gaza Strip.
Following the incident, Turkish protesters poured into streets and assembled in front of the Egyptian consulate in Istanbul on Wednesday.
They carried flags of Palestine and chanted slogans in condemnation of Cairo's use of force against the human rights activists and Israel's ongoing siege of the Palestinian coastal enclave.
Led by British politician George Galloway, Viva Palestina has over 200 vehicles laden with basic food items and medical supplies, and is set to break Israel's months-long closure of the Gaza Strip.
Earlier, Cairo had said it would only permit 157 members of the convoy to drive to Gaza, but later agreed to allow the group's 400 volunteers to enter the impoverished Palestinian territory.
The Egyptian government's denial of entry for Viva Palestina trucks came despite talks in which a delegation of Turkish lawmakers sought to convince Cairo officials to open its border to Gaza for the aid convoy.
Shots fired on Egypt-Gaza border clashes
Wednesday, 06 January 2010 17:27
Egyptian security forces and Palestinians clashed at the Gaza border over the delay of an international aid convoy.
Egyptian security forces and Palestinians clashed at the Gaza border on Wednesday over the delay of an international aid convoy, killing one Egyptian border guard and wounding 15 Palestinians.
The Egyptian state news agency said Palestinians shot and killed the 21-year-old border guard who was in an observation tower overlooking the frontier. Nine other guards were injured by the stones thrown across the border by hundreds of Palestinians.
Hamas had called for a protest earlier over the delay of an international aid convoy at the nearby Egyptian port city of El-Arish, but soon lost control of the situation as hundreds of youths began hurling rocks across the border at the guards.
Hamas police fired shots to disperse the crowd and shots were also heard from the Egyptian side the border. The director of a local hospital, Dr. Abdullah Shahateh said they treated 12 people, two in a serious condition. There were three other wounded in another hospital.
The incident follows a late night clash between international aid Gaza activists and Egyptian security at El-Arish when Egypt refused to allow part of the convoy to enter its territory and move on to Gaza.
More than 50 activists and over a dozen members of the security forces were injured. Activists briefly seized some policemen as well.
The clashes add to the embarrassment of Egypt, which has come under fire from Arab and Muslim groups for cooperating with Israel in its 28-month blockade of the impoverished territory.
Egypt also began constructing an underground metal barrier along its border with Gaza late last year.
Egyptian security forces and Palestinians clashed at the Gaza border over the delay of an international aid convoy.
Egyptian security forces and Palestinians clashed at the Gaza border on Wednesday over the delay of an international aid convoy, killing one Egyptian border guard and wounding 15 Palestinians.
The Egyptian state news agency said Palestinians shot and killed the 21-year-old border guard who was in an observation tower overlooking the frontier. Nine other guards were injured by the stones thrown across the border by hundreds of Palestinians.
Hamas had called for a protest earlier over the delay of an international aid convoy at the nearby Egyptian port city of El-Arish, but soon lost control of the situation as hundreds of youths began hurling rocks across the border at the guards.
Hamas police fired shots to disperse the crowd and shots were also heard from the Egyptian side the border. The director of a local hospital, Dr. Abdullah Shahateh said they treated 12 people, two in a serious condition. There were three other wounded in another hospital.
The incident follows a late night clash between international aid Gaza activists and Egyptian security at El-Arish when Egypt refused to allow part of the convoy to enter its territory and move on to Gaza.
More than 50 activists and over a dozen members of the security forces were injured. Activists briefly seized some policemen as well.
The clashes add to the embarrassment of Egypt, which has come under fire from Arab and Muslim groups for cooperating with Israel in its 28-month blockade of the impoverished territory.
Egypt also began constructing an underground metal barrier along its border with Gaza late last year.
Wednesday, January 6, 2010
Turkey steps in after Egypt police attack Gaza aid activists
Wednesday, 06 January 2010 11:37
Turkey stepped in after Egyptian security forces clashed on Wednesday with members of an international aid convoy trying to take relief supplies to Palestinians in the Gaza strip.
A Reuters correspondent in the port city of Arish, 40 km (25 miles) from Egypt's border with Gaza, saw security forces throwing stones at about 520 people travelling with the convoy.
The protestors were holding four members of the Arish harbour police while security forces detained seven members of the convoy, who have been locked in a dispute with Egyptian authorities over the route of the 198 trucks.
Witnesses told Bernama news agency, the incident was provoked by agents provocateurs of the Egyptian government.
Police used water cannon to force the protestors to leave Arish harbour, a security source said. Around 40 members of the convoy had minor injuries while around 15 police officials were hurt, witnesses said.
Cairo insists the food and other supplies should go to Gaza via an Israeli-controlled checkpoint while the convoy's leaders want to use the Egyptian-controlled Rafah border crossing.
Egyptian authorities wanted 55 of the trucks to go to the Israeli checkpoint, said George Galloway, the British MP.
"We refused this," he told Reuters TV. "It is completely unconscionable that 25 percent of our convoy should go to Israel and never arrive in Gaza. Because nothing that ever goes to Israel, ever arrives in Gaza."
Bernama report quoted Galloway as saying there are negotiations at the highest level by Turkish authorities with the Egyptian government including for the release of all those detained.
Meanwhile, Turkish media said, Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu held three separate phone conversations with his Egyptian counterpart to ease the tension at Al Arish port.
Following the Mr. Davutoğlu's initiations to settle down the issue, the clashes stopped, state TV said.
As well as Turkish deputies as Husnu Tuna, Cemal Yılmaz Demir, Mehmet Nil Hidir, Seracettin Karayagız, the Chairman of the Turkish Parliamentary Foreign Affairs Committee, Murat Mercan is also with members of Viva Palestina convoy.
According to a statement issued by the Turkish Parliamentary Foreign Affairs Committee, Mercan would accompany a convoy carrying humanitarian aid to Gaza between January 4 and 6. Mercan is planned to hold official talks while in Gaza, Anadolu news agency said.
Alhamy Aref, a local government official in North Sinai, was trying to negotiate a deal between the two sides on releasing the detained people, the Reuters correspondent reported.
Leaders of the convoy originally refused Egypt's condition that the aid should be shipped via Arish on the Mediterranean rather than via the Red Sea port of Nuweiba. But they later had to return to Arish on Thursday, a long way to Gaza.
Related news reports:
Viva Palestina activists face 2,000 riot police as Egypt seize passports
Turkish MPs to enter Gaza with Viva Palestina convoy in Egypt / PHOTO
Viva Palestina convoy onboard Gulf-funded ship heads to Egypt / PHOTO
Turkish ship to carry Viva Palestina convoy to Egypt
Turkey stepped in after Egyptian security forces clashed on Wednesday with members of an international aid convoy trying to take relief supplies to Palestinians in the Gaza strip.
A Reuters correspondent in the port city of Arish, 40 km (25 miles) from Egypt's border with Gaza, saw security forces throwing stones at about 520 people travelling with the convoy.
The protestors were holding four members of the Arish harbour police while security forces detained seven members of the convoy, who have been locked in a dispute with Egyptian authorities over the route of the 198 trucks.
Witnesses told Bernama news agency, the incident was provoked by agents provocateurs of the Egyptian government.
Police used water cannon to force the protestors to leave Arish harbour, a security source said. Around 40 members of the convoy had minor injuries while around 15 police officials were hurt, witnesses said.
Cairo insists the food and other supplies should go to Gaza via an Israeli-controlled checkpoint while the convoy's leaders want to use the Egyptian-controlled Rafah border crossing.
Egyptian authorities wanted 55 of the trucks to go to the Israeli checkpoint, said George Galloway, the British MP.
"We refused this," he told Reuters TV. "It is completely unconscionable that 25 percent of our convoy should go to Israel and never arrive in Gaza. Because nothing that ever goes to Israel, ever arrives in Gaza."
Bernama report quoted Galloway as saying there are negotiations at the highest level by Turkish authorities with the Egyptian government including for the release of all those detained.
Meanwhile, Turkish media said, Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu held three separate phone conversations with his Egyptian counterpart to ease the tension at Al Arish port.
Following the Mr. Davutoğlu's initiations to settle down the issue, the clashes stopped, state TV said.
As well as Turkish deputies as Husnu Tuna, Cemal Yılmaz Demir, Mehmet Nil Hidir, Seracettin Karayagız, the Chairman of the Turkish Parliamentary Foreign Affairs Committee, Murat Mercan is also with members of Viva Palestina convoy.
According to a statement issued by the Turkish Parliamentary Foreign Affairs Committee, Mercan would accompany a convoy carrying humanitarian aid to Gaza between January 4 and 6. Mercan is planned to hold official talks while in Gaza, Anadolu news agency said.
Alhamy Aref, a local government official in North Sinai, was trying to negotiate a deal between the two sides on releasing the detained people, the Reuters correspondent reported.
Leaders of the convoy originally refused Egypt's condition that the aid should be shipped via Arish on the Mediterranean rather than via the Red Sea port of Nuweiba. But they later had to return to Arish on Thursday, a long way to Gaza.
Related news reports:
Viva Palestina activists face 2,000 riot police as Egypt seize passports
Turkish MPs to enter Gaza with Viva Palestina convoy in Egypt / PHOTO
Viva Palestina convoy onboard Gulf-funded ship heads to Egypt / PHOTO
Turkish ship to carry Viva Palestina convoy to Egypt
Jordanians call on Egypt to honor Muslim obligation over Gaza
Dozens of Jordanians on Sunday gathered near the Egyptian embassy in Amman to protest Egypt's plan to construct an iron wall on Gaza border that has been already under years of Israel siege.
Monday, 04 January 2010 14:29
World Bulletin / News Desk
Dozens of Jordanians on Sunday gathered near the Egyptian embassy in Amman to protest Egypt's plan to construct an iron wall on Gaza border that has been already under years of Israel siege.
Protesters urged Egypt to stop building the wall, calling for popular pressure on Cairo to end its siege on the coastal enclave, Jordanian newspaper reported.
"Stop building the wall of shame," read one poster.
They said "Egypt must act within its moral obligation to the Arab and Muslim worlds by helping Gazans cope with their situation".
Cairo has also come under increasing criticism for refusal to let Viva Palestina aid convoy enter through the Nuweiba port on the Red Sea en route to Gaza.
The convoy was forced to make a debut to El Arish port on the Mediterranean Sea, an extra 20-hour trip.
The Viva Palestina convoy which started its journey on December 16, onboard a ship, sponsored by a Gulf businessman, arrived in Egyptian port on Monday one-week later after the date that they initially hoped to reach Gaza Strip on the first anniversary of Israel's 22-day offensive.
Israel killed nearly 1500 Palestinians and more than 5000 Gazans in the offensive.
1.5 million Gazans live under heavy Israel siege and Egypt still insists on not to opening the only Gaza border crossing in a move condemned around the world in protests, leaving Gazans desperate to digging tunnels underground and risking their lives since 2007.
A group of international lawyers and human rights activists accuse Israel of committing "genocide" through its crippling blockade of the Strip.
Monday, 04 January 2010 14:29
World Bulletin / News Desk
Dozens of Jordanians on Sunday gathered near the Egyptian embassy in Amman to protest Egypt's plan to construct an iron wall on Gaza border that has been already under years of Israel siege.
Protesters urged Egypt to stop building the wall, calling for popular pressure on Cairo to end its siege on the coastal enclave, Jordanian newspaper reported.
"Stop building the wall of shame," read one poster.
They said "Egypt must act within its moral obligation to the Arab and Muslim worlds by helping Gazans cope with their situation".
Cairo has also come under increasing criticism for refusal to let Viva Palestina aid convoy enter through the Nuweiba port on the Red Sea en route to Gaza.
The convoy was forced to make a debut to El Arish port on the Mediterranean Sea, an extra 20-hour trip.
The Viva Palestina convoy which started its journey on December 16, onboard a ship, sponsored by a Gulf businessman, arrived in Egyptian port on Monday one-week later after the date that they initially hoped to reach Gaza Strip on the first anniversary of Israel's 22-day offensive.
Israel killed nearly 1500 Palestinians and more than 5000 Gazans in the offensive.
1.5 million Gazans live under heavy Israel siege and Egypt still insists on not to opening the only Gaza border crossing in a move condemned around the world in protests, leaving Gazans desperate to digging tunnels underground and risking their lives since 2007.
A group of international lawyers and human rights activists accuse Israel of committing "genocide" through its crippling blockade of the Strip.
Hamas pledges loyalty to Arabs
SHARM EL-SHEIKH: Exiled Hamas leader Khaled Meshaal has assured Saudi Arabia his movement is loyal to Arab states, the kingdom's foreign minister, Prince Saud al-Faisal, said on Tuesday.
"I asked Khaled Meshaal whether the movement stood with Arabs or with others," Prince Saud said, referring to Iran, a strong regional backer of Hamas, the Islamist group that rules Gaza.
"Meshaal insisted that Hamas was an Arab movement and that the Palestinian question was an Arab issue," the Saudi minister said at the Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh after talks with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak.
The exchange between Prince Saud and Meshaal occurred on Sunday during a visit by the Hamas leader to Saudi Arabia.
Sunni Saudi Arabia and Shiite non-Arab Iran have been traditional rivals in the Middle East.
Tensions have recently mounted between the two as Saudi Arabia accuses Iran of supporting Huthi rebels in northern Yemen, which the kingdom has fought along its border with Yemen.
Prince Saud's visit to Egypt is part of a string of regional meetings aimed at reviving peace negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians, which have been stalled for a year.
Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas and Jordan's King Abdullah II were in Egypt on Monday for talks with Mubarak, a week after a visit by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
On Sunday in Riyadh, Meshaal said Egyptian-led talks aimed at reconciling the Palestinian Islamist movement and its rival Fatah were close to bearing fruit.
US President Barack Obama has repeatedly called on Israel and the Palestinians to resume peace talks, but the Palestinians have demanded Israel first freeze all settlement activity and commit to a framework for the talks.
The Palestinians have insisted the borders of their promised state encompass all of their land Israel occupied in 1967, including mostly Arab east Jerusalem -- which Israel later annexed in a move not recognised by the international community -- as their capital.
Hamas's takeover of Gaza in 2007, which shrank Abbas' powerbase to the West Bank and deepened Palestinian divisions, has also hampered peace talks with Israel.
"I asked Khaled Meshaal whether the movement stood with Arabs or with others," Prince Saud said, referring to Iran, a strong regional backer of Hamas, the Islamist group that rules Gaza.
"Meshaal insisted that Hamas was an Arab movement and that the Palestinian question was an Arab issue," the Saudi minister said at the Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh after talks with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak.
The exchange between Prince Saud and Meshaal occurred on Sunday during a visit by the Hamas leader to Saudi Arabia.
Sunni Saudi Arabia and Shiite non-Arab Iran have been traditional rivals in the Middle East.
Tensions have recently mounted between the two as Saudi Arabia accuses Iran of supporting Huthi rebels in northern Yemen, which the kingdom has fought along its border with Yemen.
Prince Saud's visit to Egypt is part of a string of regional meetings aimed at reviving peace negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians, which have been stalled for a year.
Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas and Jordan's King Abdullah II were in Egypt on Monday for talks with Mubarak, a week after a visit by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
On Sunday in Riyadh, Meshaal said Egyptian-led talks aimed at reconciling the Palestinian Islamist movement and its rival Fatah were close to bearing fruit.
US President Barack Obama has repeatedly called on Israel and the Palestinians to resume peace talks, but the Palestinians have demanded Israel first freeze all settlement activity and commit to a framework for the talks.
The Palestinians have insisted the borders of their promised state encompass all of their land Israel occupied in 1967, including mostly Arab east Jerusalem -- which Israel later annexed in a move not recognised by the international community -- as their capital.
Hamas's takeover of Gaza in 2007, which shrank Abbas' powerbase to the West Bank and deepened Palestinian divisions, has also hampered peace talks with Israel.
Jordan's Islamists condemn Egyptian "assault" on aid convoy to Gaza
20:57, January 06, 2010
Jordan's Islamic Action Front (IAF) on Wednesday condemned Egypt's alleged assault on members of the Viva Palestina humanitarian convoy in the Egyptian port of El Arish.
"The attack by the Egyptian authorities on the Viva Palestina convoy late Tuesday is heinous and cruel. We condemn the assault on the convoy members who seek to break the siege imposed on Gaza and such behaviors do not reflect the history of Egypt," the IAF, the political arm of Jordan's Muslim Brotherhood, said in a statement posted on its website.
Several media reports claimed that Egyptian forces assaulted members of the convoy late Tuesday after they staged a sit-in protesting Egypt's refusal to allow all the trucks escorting the convoy to head to Gaza.
Activists accompanying the convoy confirmed the assault. "Many of us were beaten up by the Egyptian forces on Tuesday night. The Egyptian security members used water cannons and tear gas bombs to disperse the activists who staged the sit-in Tuesday night, calling for allowing all trucks to head to Gaza," Ali Abu Al Sukkar, member of the convoy's coordination committee, told Xinhua from El Arish port.
"Over 30 of the participants in the caravan were seriously injured and many of them were taken to hospitals for treatment and some others were treated by physicians accompanying the convoy," said Abu Al Sukkar, claiming that convoy members "slept in the streets by the port" on Tuesday evening.
The convoy, which is accompanied by over 450 activists from the United States, Britain, Turkey, Malaysia, Jordan and other nationalities, includes over 200 trucks laden with humanitarian assistance to be given to the Palestinians in Gaza Strip.
The convoy, which started its trip on Dec. 6 of 2009 from London and has crossed several European countries including France, Germany, Austria, Belgium and Italy as well as Turkey, Syria and Jordan, was planning to enter the coastal enclave on Dec. 27, 2009.
But the Egyptian authorities' refusal to allow the convoy enter through the Nuweiba port on the Red Sea en route to Gaza, forced the convoy to head back late in December to Syria from where it later headed to El Arish port on the Mediterranean.
Source: Xinhua
Jordan's Islamic Action Front (IAF) on Wednesday condemned Egypt's alleged assault on members of the Viva Palestina humanitarian convoy in the Egyptian port of El Arish.
"The attack by the Egyptian authorities on the Viva Palestina convoy late Tuesday is heinous and cruel. We condemn the assault on the convoy members who seek to break the siege imposed on Gaza and such behaviors do not reflect the history of Egypt," the IAF, the political arm of Jordan's Muslim Brotherhood, said in a statement posted on its website.
Several media reports claimed that Egyptian forces assaulted members of the convoy late Tuesday after they staged a sit-in protesting Egypt's refusal to allow all the trucks escorting the convoy to head to Gaza.
Activists accompanying the convoy confirmed the assault. "Many of us were beaten up by the Egyptian forces on Tuesday night. The Egyptian security members used water cannons and tear gas bombs to disperse the activists who staged the sit-in Tuesday night, calling for allowing all trucks to head to Gaza," Ali Abu Al Sukkar, member of the convoy's coordination committee, told Xinhua from El Arish port.
"Over 30 of the participants in the caravan were seriously injured and many of them were taken to hospitals for treatment and some others were treated by physicians accompanying the convoy," said Abu Al Sukkar, claiming that convoy members "slept in the streets by the port" on Tuesday evening.
The convoy, which is accompanied by over 450 activists from the United States, Britain, Turkey, Malaysia, Jordan and other nationalities, includes over 200 trucks laden with humanitarian assistance to be given to the Palestinians in Gaza Strip.
The convoy, which started its trip on Dec. 6 of 2009 from London and has crossed several European countries including France, Germany, Austria, Belgium and Italy as well as Turkey, Syria and Jordan, was planning to enter the coastal enclave on Dec. 27, 2009.
But the Egyptian authorities' refusal to allow the convoy enter through the Nuweiba port on the Red Sea en route to Gaza, forced the convoy to head back late in December to Syria from where it later headed to El Arish port on the Mediterranean.
Source: Xinhua
Monday, January 4, 2010
From the pyramids to the checkpoints, we have had many victories in Egypt Monday, January 4, 2010 2:48 AM
Emily Ratner is an organizer and mediamaker based in New Orleans. She is a
member of New Orleans Palestine Solidarity (NOLAPS) and the International
Jewish anti-Zionist Network (IJAN). She can be reached at
emily@nolahumanrights.org
03 Jan 2010 05:05 AM PST
"The cause of freedom is not the cause of a race or a sect, a party or a
class–it is the cause of humankind, the very birthright of freedom." –Anna
Julia Cooper, page 27, my US passport
The Gaza Freedom March announced the Cairo Declaration to End Israeli Apartheid
on January 1st, and so yesterday hundreds of Marchers smuggled freedom’s
smoke signals in our luggage as we climbed into buses, vans, and taxis and made
a mad dash for the Rafah border crossing. My own van was pulled over at the
first checkpoint on the way out of Cairo, where we sat on a dusty curb for two
hours before being forced to turn back. As we waited for guards to run our
passport numbers and strategized about next steps, a small bus filled with our
French friends sped by on the other side of the road, headed back to Cairo.
Their hands formed peace signs through the windows as they shouted at border
guards, and we were reminded once again of the historic nature of these days,
when more than 1,300 people have come to Egypt from 43 different countries to
support our sisters and brothers in Gaza.
When we were first pulled over, I felt silly for thinking our small van, filled
with aging activists and suitcases overflowing with medicine and other forms of
aid, would be permitted to pass to Rafah. As we drove away from the checkpoint,
where we picked up two stragglers who had been pulled from buses and told they
must return as well, my thinking began to change: Even if none of us arrive in
Gaza (an impossibility given the resourcefulness of this remarkable group), our
global solidarity community has accomplished something amazing here in Cairo,
and in countries around the world. We will now leave Egypt, either for Gaza or
for our homes, with a unified call to action, and a concrete plan to continue
this crucial work.
We have seen so many victories here in Cairo in the crazy days since the
Egyptian Foreign Minister announced we would not be permitted to cross the
Rafah border. There are some moments when the haze of Cairo clouds our eyes
with dust and disappointment, but we sing our successes into the smog of this
city, reminding ourselves and our allies around the world that our efforts will
not be deterred by Egyptian guards at checkpoints and the Israeli politicians
who are calling the shots:
On December 27, the French group of over 300 allies and mentors took over
Giza/Charles de Gaulle St, a terrifyingly busy thoroughfare, when their
Rafah-bound buses did not arrive at the French Embassy. They held the street
for a full hour before agreeing to wait for the buses on the sidewalk in front
of the Embassy. They camped in "Giza Strip" for a full five days, guarded by
three rows of riot police.
On December 29, Hedy Epstein, an 85 year-old Holocaust survivor, began a widely
reported hunger strike with thirty activists, announcing that they will feast
when all of Gaza feasts.
Later that night, hundreds of internationals stood alongside hundreds of
Egyptians, who bravely protested Binyamin Netanyahu’s visit to Egypt and
demanded an end to the siege.
On December 30, the Egyptian government sent two buses of marchers to Gaza in
an effort to temper the terrible press Mubarak is receiving in Egypt and
throughout the Arab world. So many of us refused to be satisfied by this token
gesture that the buses were not full when they reached Gaza.
Later that day, hundreds protested at the American Embassy, where police
managed to fracture them into small, highly guarded groups but could not divide
the loud, unified voice with which they demanded an end to the siege, both from
the streets in front of the Embassy and from negotiations inside.
Also on December 30, 25 French activists raced an enormous Palestinian flag to
the top of one of the pyramids as hundreds of Egyptians and others cheered them
on in this highly illegal act. This was the flag’s second trip to the top of
the pyramid since we’ve arrived.
On December 31, more than 500 internationals set out on a Freedom March to Gaza
from the Egyptian Museum, where they stopped heavy traffic on Tahrir Square and
fought fearlessly against guards who violently moved them to pedestrian areas.
In Gaza, internationals joined Palestinian marchers in the trek to the Erez
crossing, where hundreds upon hundreds protested the siege from the Israeli
side of the border. Thousands more joined solidarity protests around the world.
On January 1, more than 500 protested at the Israeli Embassy, forcing global
attention on the government that is desperately seeking to divert our efforts
to the Egyptian government’s role in the siege. We have proved that we will
not be fooled.
Later that night, the South African delegation officially announced the Cairo
Declaration that we have worked together to create in partnership with our
sisters and brothers in Gaza. The Declaration demands an end to Israeli
apartheid, lists our renewed commitments, and provides an action plan as we
move forward in this important work. In a week of historic events, this
document proves we have accomplished the mission that brought us to Cairo: We
are now united with the people in Gaza, and have a unified plan as we move
forward in our crucial work.
While Egyptians turn us away from checkpoints and borders, we remember that it
is the Israeli government that has demanded we be kept out of Gaza. And the
Israelis have made this demand because they are terrified of our movement.
Their weapons and soldiers are no match for the ideas we carry with us, sparked
in Palestine and now aflame in Egypt and throughout the world. Our global
community join Palestinian civil society in some demands of our own, which the
Israelis cannot quell by preventing our passage to Gaza. As the Cairo
Declaration states, we demand Self-Determination for all Palestinians.
We demand an End to the Occupation. We demand Equal Rights for All within
historic Palestine. We demand the full Right of Return for all People of
Palestine.
And we insist that as a global solidarity movement, we have the right to make
these demands. Egyptian guards have been unable to stop us as we scream our
demands from atop the pyramids, from the sidewalks of the U.S. and Israeli
Embassies, and from the front pages of newspapers in Egypt, Kuwait, Yemen, and
around the world. Allies have stamped these demands into the world’s streets
as they march for Palestine’s freedom.
We must make these demands because our work is too important to wait for the
governments of the world to acknowledge that the Israelis will never offer
Palestinians what they are owed. We can make these demands because we have the
power of a global boycott, divestment, and sanctions movement that will some
day be strong enough to cripple the Israeli economy, if we do the work we have
promised here in Cairo. And, as Anna Julia Cooper so eloquently states in the
US passport that was rejected by Egyptians working on behalf of Israelis
yesterday, we will make these demands because freedom is the birthright of
humankind.
We celebrate our sisters and brothers in Gaza and throughout Palestine who have
worked so hard to bring us to this historic moment. We celebrate allies here in
Cairo and around the world, who are renewing their commitment to their crucial
solidarity work by endorsing the Cairo Declaration. And we celebrate all of the
travelers who slowly make their way to Rafah, whether they arrive or not.
May the Egyptians run our passport numbers thousands of times as they turn us
back. May the Israelis be reminded again and again that they have only
encouraged us to work more tirelessly than we have so far. May the U.S.
government be reminded of the wisdom of Cooper’s words, spat on every time we
are rejected at a checkpoint or border crossing. May we leave Cairo with more
hope than when we arrived that the siege will end and Gaza and all of Palestine
will be free.
member of New Orleans Palestine Solidarity (NOLAPS) and the International
Jewish anti-Zionist Network (IJAN). She can be reached at
emily@nolahumanrights.org
03 Jan 2010 05:05 AM PST
"The cause of freedom is not the cause of a race or a sect, a party or a
class–it is the cause of humankind, the very birthright of freedom." –Anna
Julia Cooper, page 27, my US passport
The Gaza Freedom March announced the Cairo Declaration to End Israeli Apartheid
on January 1st, and so yesterday hundreds of Marchers smuggled freedom’s
smoke signals in our luggage as we climbed into buses, vans, and taxis and made
a mad dash for the Rafah border crossing. My own van was pulled over at the
first checkpoint on the way out of Cairo, where we sat on a dusty curb for two
hours before being forced to turn back. As we waited for guards to run our
passport numbers and strategized about next steps, a small bus filled with our
French friends sped by on the other side of the road, headed back to Cairo.
Their hands formed peace signs through the windows as they shouted at border
guards, and we were reminded once again of the historic nature of these days,
when more than 1,300 people have come to Egypt from 43 different countries to
support our sisters and brothers in Gaza.
When we were first pulled over, I felt silly for thinking our small van, filled
with aging activists and suitcases overflowing with medicine and other forms of
aid, would be permitted to pass to Rafah. As we drove away from the checkpoint,
where we picked up two stragglers who had been pulled from buses and told they
must return as well, my thinking began to change: Even if none of us arrive in
Gaza (an impossibility given the resourcefulness of this remarkable group), our
global solidarity community has accomplished something amazing here in Cairo,
and in countries around the world. We will now leave Egypt, either for Gaza or
for our homes, with a unified call to action, and a concrete plan to continue
this crucial work.
We have seen so many victories here in Cairo in the crazy days since the
Egyptian Foreign Minister announced we would not be permitted to cross the
Rafah border. There are some moments when the haze of Cairo clouds our eyes
with dust and disappointment, but we sing our successes into the smog of this
city, reminding ourselves and our allies around the world that our efforts will
not be deterred by Egyptian guards at checkpoints and the Israeli politicians
who are calling the shots:
On December 27, the French group of over 300 allies and mentors took over
Giza/Charles de Gaulle St, a terrifyingly busy thoroughfare, when their
Rafah-bound buses did not arrive at the French Embassy. They held the street
for a full hour before agreeing to wait for the buses on the sidewalk in front
of the Embassy. They camped in "Giza Strip" for a full five days, guarded by
three rows of riot police.
On December 29, Hedy Epstein, an 85 year-old Holocaust survivor, began a widely
reported hunger strike with thirty activists, announcing that they will feast
when all of Gaza feasts.
Later that night, hundreds of internationals stood alongside hundreds of
Egyptians, who bravely protested Binyamin Netanyahu’s visit to Egypt and
demanded an end to the siege.
On December 30, the Egyptian government sent two buses of marchers to Gaza in
an effort to temper the terrible press Mubarak is receiving in Egypt and
throughout the Arab world. So many of us refused to be satisfied by this token
gesture that the buses were not full when they reached Gaza.
Later that day, hundreds protested at the American Embassy, where police
managed to fracture them into small, highly guarded groups but could not divide
the loud, unified voice with which they demanded an end to the siege, both from
the streets in front of the Embassy and from negotiations inside.
Also on December 30, 25 French activists raced an enormous Palestinian flag to
the top of one of the pyramids as hundreds of Egyptians and others cheered them
on in this highly illegal act. This was the flag’s second trip to the top of
the pyramid since we’ve arrived.
On December 31, more than 500 internationals set out on a Freedom March to Gaza
from the Egyptian Museum, where they stopped heavy traffic on Tahrir Square and
fought fearlessly against guards who violently moved them to pedestrian areas.
In Gaza, internationals joined Palestinian marchers in the trek to the Erez
crossing, where hundreds upon hundreds protested the siege from the Israeli
side of the border. Thousands more joined solidarity protests around the world.
On January 1, more than 500 protested at the Israeli Embassy, forcing global
attention on the government that is desperately seeking to divert our efforts
to the Egyptian government’s role in the siege. We have proved that we will
not be fooled.
Later that night, the South African delegation officially announced the Cairo
Declaration that we have worked together to create in partnership with our
sisters and brothers in Gaza. The Declaration demands an end to Israeli
apartheid, lists our renewed commitments, and provides an action plan as we
move forward in this important work. In a week of historic events, this
document proves we have accomplished the mission that brought us to Cairo: We
are now united with the people in Gaza, and have a unified plan as we move
forward in our crucial work.
While Egyptians turn us away from checkpoints and borders, we remember that it
is the Israeli government that has demanded we be kept out of Gaza. And the
Israelis have made this demand because they are terrified of our movement.
Their weapons and soldiers are no match for the ideas we carry with us, sparked
in Palestine and now aflame in Egypt and throughout the world. Our global
community join Palestinian civil society in some demands of our own, which the
Israelis cannot quell by preventing our passage to Gaza. As the Cairo
Declaration states, we demand Self-Determination for all Palestinians.
We demand an End to the Occupation. We demand Equal Rights for All within
historic Palestine. We demand the full Right of Return for all People of
Palestine.
And we insist that as a global solidarity movement, we have the right to make
these demands. Egyptian guards have been unable to stop us as we scream our
demands from atop the pyramids, from the sidewalks of the U.S. and Israeli
Embassies, and from the front pages of newspapers in Egypt, Kuwait, Yemen, and
around the world. Allies have stamped these demands into the world’s streets
as they march for Palestine’s freedom.
We must make these demands because our work is too important to wait for the
governments of the world to acknowledge that the Israelis will never offer
Palestinians what they are owed. We can make these demands because we have the
power of a global boycott, divestment, and sanctions movement that will some
day be strong enough to cripple the Israeli economy, if we do the work we have
promised here in Cairo. And, as Anna Julia Cooper so eloquently states in the
US passport that was rejected by Egyptians working on behalf of Israelis
yesterday, we will make these demands because freedom is the birthright of
humankind.
We celebrate our sisters and brothers in Gaza and throughout Palestine who have
worked so hard to bring us to this historic moment. We celebrate allies here in
Cairo and around the world, who are renewing their commitment to their crucial
solidarity work by endorsing the Cairo Declaration. And we celebrate all of the
travelers who slowly make their way to Rafah, whether they arrive or not.
May the Egyptians run our passport numbers thousands of times as they turn us
back. May the Israelis be reminded again and again that they have only
encouraged us to work more tirelessly than we have so far. May the U.S.
government be reminded of the wisdom of Cooper’s words, spat on every time we
are rejected at a checkpoint or border crossing. May we leave Cairo with more
hope than when we arrived that the siege will end and Gaza and all of Palestine
will be free.
Wednesday, December 30, 2009
1. Operation Susannah
In the early 1950s the United States initiated a more activist policy toward Egypt often in contrast with British policies. Israel feared that this policy, which encouraged Britain to withdraw its military forces from the Suez Canal, would embolden Egyptian President Nasser's military ambitions towards Israel. Israel first sought to influence this policy through diplomatic means but was frustrated. [3]
In the summer of 1954 Colonel Binyamin Gibli, the chief of Israel's military intelligence, Aman, initiated Operation Suzannah in order to reverse that decision. The goal of the Operation was to carry out bombings and other acts of violence in Egypt with the aim of creating an atmosphere in which the British and American opponents of British withdrawal from Egypt would be able to gain the upper hand and block the withdrawal.
According to historian Shabtai Teveth, who wrote one of the more detailed accounts, the assignment was "To undermine Western confidence in the existing [Egyptian] regime by generating public insecurity and actions to bring about arrests, demonstrations, and acts of revenge, while totally concealing the Israeli factor. The team was accordingly urged to avoid detection, so that suspicion would fall on the Muslim Brotherhood, the Communists, 'unspecified malcontents' or 'local nationalists'." [1]
The top-secret cell, Unit 131, which was to carry out the operation, had existed since 1948 and under Aman since 1950. At the time of Operation Susannah, Unit 131 was the subject of a bitter dispute between Aman {military intelligence} and Mossad {national intelligence agency} over who should control it.
Unit 131 operatives had been recruited several years before, when the Israeli intelligence officer Avram Dar arrived in Cairo undercover as a British citizen of Gibraltar called John Darling. He had recruited several Egyptian Jews who had previously been active in illegal emigration activities and trained them for covert operations.
Aman decided to activate the network in the spring of 1954. On July 2, they firebombed a post office in Alexandria, and on July 14, they bombed the U.S. Information Agency libraries in Alexandria and Cairo and a British-owned theater. The homemade bombs, consisting of bags containing acid placed over nitroglycerine, were inserted into books, and placed on the shelves of the libraries just before closing time. Several hours later, as the acid ate through the bags, the bombs would explode. They did little damage to the targets and caused no injuries or deaths.
Before the group began Israeli agent Avraham Seidenberg (Avri Elad) was sent to oversee the operations. Seidenberg assumed the identity of Paul Frank, a former SS officer with Nazi underground connections. Avraham Seidenberg allegedly informed the Egyptians resulting in the Egyptian Intelligence Service following a suspect to his target, the Rio Theatre, where a fire engine was standing by. Egyptian authorities arrested this suspect, Philip Natanson, when his bomb accidentally ignited prematurely in his pocket. Having searched his apartment, they found incriminating evidence and names of accomplices to the operation. Several suspects were arrested, including Egyptian Jews and undercover Israelis.
Colonel Dar and Seidenberg had managed to escape. One suspect {Yosef Carmon} was tortured to death in prison and Hungarian born Israeli Meir Max Bineth committed suicide. The trial began on December 11 and lasted until January 27, 1955; two of the accused (Moshe Marzouk and Shmuel Azar) were condemned to execution by hanging and two acquitted with the rest receiving lengthy prison terms. The trial was widely criticized as a show trial, and there were allegations that evidence had been extracted by torture. [4]
Two of the imprisoned operatives, Meir Meyuhas and Meir Za'afran, were released in 1962, after having served seven year jail sentences. The rest were eventually freed in February 1968, in a secret addendum to a prisoner of war exchange.
Soon after the affair, Mossad chief Isser Harel expressed suspicion to Aman concerning the integrity of Avraham Seidenberg. Despite his concerns, Aman continued using Seidenberg for intelligence operations until 1956, when he was caught trying to sell Israeli documents to the Egyptians. Seidenberg was tried and sentenced to 10 years imprisonment. In 1980, Harel publicly revealed evidence that Seidenberg had been turned by the Egyptians even before Operation Suzannah.
2. Political aftermath
In meetings with prime minister Moshe Sharett, secretary of defense Pinhas Lavon denied any knowledge of the operation. When intelligence chief Gibli contradicted Lavon, Sharrett commissioned a board of inquiry consisting of Israeli Supreme Court Justice Isaac Olshan and the first chief of staff of the Israel Defense Forces, Yaakov Dori that was unable to find conclusive evidence that Lavon had authorized the operation. Lavon tried to fix the blame on Shimon Peres, who was the secretary general of the defense ministry, and Gibli for insubordination and criminal negligence. Sharett resolved the dilemma by siding with Peres, who along with Moshe Dayan testified against Lavon, after which Lavon resigned. Former prime minister David Ben-Gurion succeeded Lavon as minister of defense. A short time later, Sharett, who did not know about the operation in advance, and who had strongly denied Israel's involvement, resigned as Prime Minister and was replaced by Ben-Gurion.
In April of 1960, a review of minutes from the inquiry found inconsistencies and possibly a fraudulent document in Gibli's original testimony that seemed to support Lavon's account of events. During this time, it also came to light that Seidenberg (the Israeli agent running Operation Suzannah in Egypt), had committed perjury during the original inquiry. Seidenberg was also suspected of betraying the group to Egyptian authorities; though the charges were never proven, he was eventually sentenced to a jail term of 10 years. Ben-Gurion scheduled closed hearings with a new board of inquiry chaired by Chaim Cohen, a supreme court justice.
This inquiry found that the perjury indeed had been committed, and that Lavon had not authorized the operation. Sharett and Levi Eshkol tried to issue a statement that would placate both Lavon and those who had opposed him. Ben-Gurion refused to accept the compromise and viewed it as a divisive play within the Mapai party. After another investigative committee sided with the Cohen inquiry, Ben-Gurion resigned from his post as defense minister. This led to the expulsion of Lavon from the Histadrut labor union and an early call for new elections which changed the political structure in Israel.
It should be noted that the specifics of Operation Susannah were not public at the time of the political upheaval.
3. Legacy
Operation Suzannah and the Lavon Affair turned out to be disastrous for Israel in several ways:
* Israel lost significant standing and credibility in its relations with the United Kingdom and the United States that would take years to repair.
* The tactics of the operation led to deep-seated suspicion of Israeli intelligence methods, such as agents provocateurs and false flag operations.
* The political aftermath caused considerable political turmoil in Israel that affected the influence of its government.
In March 2005, Israel publicly honored the surviving operatives, and President Moshe Katsav presented each with a certificate of appreciation for their efforts on behalf of the state, ending decades of official denial by Israel. [2]
4. Notes
1. ^ S. Teveth, Ben-Gurion's spy: the story of the political scandal that shaped modern Israel. Columbia University Press, 1996, ISBN 0231104642, p.81.
2. ^ "After half a century of reticence and recrimination, Israel ... honored ... agents-provocateur. Reuters, 30th March 2005. Accessed 2nd July 2007.
3. Hahn, Peter L. United States, Great Britain, and Egypt, 1945-1956: Strategy and Diplomacy. UNC Press. pp. 187. ISBN 0807819425. "In late 1954, the Anglo-Egyptian base agreement and American plans to promote a Northern tier security arrangement generated tension between Israel and Egypt. Israeli officials feared that British troop withdrawal from the Canal zone ... would encourage Egyptial aggressiveness toward Israel and remove Western leverage to modify Egyptian behavior on issues such as Suez Canal restrictions"
4. "The Lavon Affair". Jewish Virtual Library. http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/History/lavon.html. Retrieved 2008-10-29.
5. References
* Black, Ian and Morris, Benny (1992): Israel's Secret Wars: A History of Israel's Intelligence Services, Futura, ISBN 0802132863.
* Ostrovsky, Victor and Hoy, Claire: By Way of Deception. St. Martin's Press, 1991, ISBN 0-312-92614-6.
6. Further reading
* Aviezer Golan (Ninio Marcelle, Victor Levy, Robert Dassa and Philip Natanson (As told to Aviezer Golan) (Translated from Hebrew by Petretz Kidron) (Fwd by Golda Meir): Operation Susannah, Harper & Row, NYC, 1978 ISBN 0-060-11555-6
* Joel Beinin: Nazis and Spies The Discourse of Operation Susannah, ch 4 in The Dispersion Of Egyptian Jewry Culture, Politics, And The Formation Of A Modern Diaspora Berkeley: University of California Press, c1998. Amer Univ in Cairo Pr, 2005, ISBN 9774248902
* Joel Beinin: Egyptian Jewish Identities. Communitarianisms, nationalisms, nostalgias Stanford Humanities Review, 1996
7. External links
* The Lavon Affair - Israel and Terror in Egypt
* The Lavon Affair by Doron Geller, JUICE, The Jewish Agency for Israel, Education Department
* The Lavon Affair by David Hirst, Excerpts from his book: The Gun and the Olive Branch, 1977, 1984, Futura Publications
* The Lavon Affair including quotes from Moshe Sharett’s Diary
* List of books about the Lavon Affair
Categories: Articles lacking in-text citations from April 2009, All articles lacking in-text citations, Arab-Israeli conflict, Egypt-Israel relations, History of Egypt, False flag operations, Jewish Egyptian history, 1960 in Israel, 1960 in Egypt, Political scandals in Israel, Espionage scandals and incidents, Military scandals, Secret military programs
In the summer of 1954 Colonel Binyamin Gibli, the chief of Israel's military intelligence, Aman, initiated Operation Suzannah in order to reverse that decision. The goal of the Operation was to carry out bombings and other acts of violence in Egypt with the aim of creating an atmosphere in which the British and American opponents of British withdrawal from Egypt would be able to gain the upper hand and block the withdrawal.
According to historian Shabtai Teveth, who wrote one of the more detailed accounts, the assignment was "To undermine Western confidence in the existing [Egyptian] regime by generating public insecurity and actions to bring about arrests, demonstrations, and acts of revenge, while totally concealing the Israeli factor. The team was accordingly urged to avoid detection, so that suspicion would fall on the Muslim Brotherhood, the Communists, 'unspecified malcontents' or 'local nationalists'." [1]
The top-secret cell, Unit 131, which was to carry out the operation, had existed since 1948 and under Aman since 1950. At the time of Operation Susannah, Unit 131 was the subject of a bitter dispute between Aman {military intelligence} and Mossad {national intelligence agency} over who should control it.
Unit 131 operatives had been recruited several years before, when the Israeli intelligence officer Avram Dar arrived in Cairo undercover as a British citizen of Gibraltar called John Darling. He had recruited several Egyptian Jews who had previously been active in illegal emigration activities and trained them for covert operations.
Aman decided to activate the network in the spring of 1954. On July 2, they firebombed a post office in Alexandria, and on July 14, they bombed the U.S. Information Agency libraries in Alexandria and Cairo and a British-owned theater. The homemade bombs, consisting of bags containing acid placed over nitroglycerine, were inserted into books, and placed on the shelves of the libraries just before closing time. Several hours later, as the acid ate through the bags, the bombs would explode. They did little damage to the targets and caused no injuries or deaths.
Before the group began Israeli agent Avraham Seidenberg (Avri Elad) was sent to oversee the operations. Seidenberg assumed the identity of Paul Frank, a former SS officer with Nazi underground connections. Avraham Seidenberg allegedly informed the Egyptians resulting in the Egyptian Intelligence Service following a suspect to his target, the Rio Theatre, where a fire engine was standing by. Egyptian authorities arrested this suspect, Philip Natanson, when his bomb accidentally ignited prematurely in his pocket. Having searched his apartment, they found incriminating evidence and names of accomplices to the operation. Several suspects were arrested, including Egyptian Jews and undercover Israelis.
Colonel Dar and Seidenberg had managed to escape. One suspect {Yosef Carmon} was tortured to death in prison and Hungarian born Israeli Meir Max Bineth committed suicide. The trial began on December 11 and lasted until January 27, 1955; two of the accused (Moshe Marzouk and Shmuel Azar) were condemned to execution by hanging and two acquitted with the rest receiving lengthy prison terms. The trial was widely criticized as a show trial, and there were allegations that evidence had been extracted by torture. [4]
Two of the imprisoned operatives, Meir Meyuhas and Meir Za'afran, were released in 1962, after having served seven year jail sentences. The rest were eventually freed in February 1968, in a secret addendum to a prisoner of war exchange.
Soon after the affair, Mossad chief Isser Harel expressed suspicion to Aman concerning the integrity of Avraham Seidenberg. Despite his concerns, Aman continued using Seidenberg for intelligence operations until 1956, when he was caught trying to sell Israeli documents to the Egyptians. Seidenberg was tried and sentenced to 10 years imprisonment. In 1980, Harel publicly revealed evidence that Seidenberg had been turned by the Egyptians even before Operation Suzannah.
2. Political aftermath
In meetings with prime minister Moshe Sharett, secretary of defense Pinhas Lavon denied any knowledge of the operation. When intelligence chief Gibli contradicted Lavon, Sharrett commissioned a board of inquiry consisting of Israeli Supreme Court Justice Isaac Olshan and the first chief of staff of the Israel Defense Forces, Yaakov Dori that was unable to find conclusive evidence that Lavon had authorized the operation. Lavon tried to fix the blame on Shimon Peres, who was the secretary general of the defense ministry, and Gibli for insubordination and criminal negligence. Sharett resolved the dilemma by siding with Peres, who along with Moshe Dayan testified against Lavon, after which Lavon resigned. Former prime minister David Ben-Gurion succeeded Lavon as minister of defense. A short time later, Sharett, who did not know about the operation in advance, and who had strongly denied Israel's involvement, resigned as Prime Minister and was replaced by Ben-Gurion.
In April of 1960, a review of minutes from the inquiry found inconsistencies and possibly a fraudulent document in Gibli's original testimony that seemed to support Lavon's account of events. During this time, it also came to light that Seidenberg (the Israeli agent running Operation Suzannah in Egypt), had committed perjury during the original inquiry. Seidenberg was also suspected of betraying the group to Egyptian authorities; though the charges were never proven, he was eventually sentenced to a jail term of 10 years. Ben-Gurion scheduled closed hearings with a new board of inquiry chaired by Chaim Cohen, a supreme court justice.
This inquiry found that the perjury indeed had been committed, and that Lavon had not authorized the operation. Sharett and Levi Eshkol tried to issue a statement that would placate both Lavon and those who had opposed him. Ben-Gurion refused to accept the compromise and viewed it as a divisive play within the Mapai party. After another investigative committee sided with the Cohen inquiry, Ben-Gurion resigned from his post as defense minister. This led to the expulsion of Lavon from the Histadrut labor union and an early call for new elections which changed the political structure in Israel.
It should be noted that the specifics of Operation Susannah were not public at the time of the political upheaval.
3. Legacy
Operation Suzannah and the Lavon Affair turned out to be disastrous for Israel in several ways:
* Israel lost significant standing and credibility in its relations with the United Kingdom and the United States that would take years to repair.
* The tactics of the operation led to deep-seated suspicion of Israeli intelligence methods, such as agents provocateurs and false flag operations.
* The political aftermath caused considerable political turmoil in Israel that affected the influence of its government.
In March 2005, Israel publicly honored the surviving operatives, and President Moshe Katsav presented each with a certificate of appreciation for their efforts on behalf of the state, ending decades of official denial by Israel. [2]
4. Notes
1. ^ S. Teveth, Ben-Gurion's spy: the story of the political scandal that shaped modern Israel. Columbia University Press, 1996, ISBN 0231104642, p.81.
2. ^ "After half a century of reticence and recrimination, Israel ... honored ... agents-provocateur. Reuters, 30th March 2005. Accessed 2nd July 2007.
3. Hahn, Peter L. United States, Great Britain, and Egypt, 1945-1956: Strategy and Diplomacy. UNC Press. pp. 187. ISBN 0807819425. "In late 1954, the Anglo-Egyptian base agreement and American plans to promote a Northern tier security arrangement generated tension between Israel and Egypt. Israeli officials feared that British troop withdrawal from the Canal zone ... would encourage Egyptial aggressiveness toward Israel and remove Western leverage to modify Egyptian behavior on issues such as Suez Canal restrictions"
4. "The Lavon Affair". Jewish Virtual Library. http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/History/lavon.html. Retrieved 2008-10-29.
5. References
* Black, Ian and Morris, Benny (1992): Israel's Secret Wars: A History of Israel's Intelligence Services, Futura, ISBN 0802132863.
* Ostrovsky, Victor and Hoy, Claire: By Way of Deception. St. Martin's Press, 1991, ISBN 0-312-92614-6.
6. Further reading
* Aviezer Golan (Ninio Marcelle, Victor Levy, Robert Dassa and Philip Natanson (As told to Aviezer Golan) (Translated from Hebrew by Petretz Kidron) (Fwd by Golda Meir): Operation Susannah, Harper & Row, NYC, 1978 ISBN 0-060-11555-6
* Joel Beinin: Nazis and Spies The Discourse of Operation Susannah, ch 4 in The Dispersion Of Egyptian Jewry Culture, Politics, And The Formation Of A Modern Diaspora Berkeley: University of California Press, c1998. Amer Univ in Cairo Pr, 2005, ISBN 9774248902
* Joel Beinin: Egyptian Jewish Identities. Communitarianisms, nationalisms, nostalgias Stanford Humanities Review, 1996
7. External links
* The Lavon Affair - Israel and Terror in Egypt
* The Lavon Affair by Doron Geller, JUICE, The Jewish Agency for Israel, Education Department
* The Lavon Affair by David Hirst, Excerpts from his book: The Gun and the Olive Branch, 1977, 1984, Futura Publications
* The Lavon Affair including quotes from Moshe Sharett’s Diary
* List of books about the Lavon Affair
Categories: Articles lacking in-text citations from April 2009, All articles lacking in-text citations, Arab-Israeli conflict, Egypt-Israel relations, History of Egypt, False flag operations, Jewish Egyptian history, 1960 in Israel, 1960 in Egypt, Political scandals in Israel, Espionage scandals and incidents, Military scandals, Secret military programs
Monday, November 23, 2009
Israel begins work on new tunnels to storm Al Aqsa Mosque
Middle East Monitor
November 19, 2009
The Al Aqsa Foundation for Endowments and Heritage revealed that the Israeli occupation authorities began excavation works at Al Sharaf alley, tens of meters west of the Al Aqsa Mosque, in preparation for the construction of two tunnels and two electric elevators to connect between the alley, which was confiscated by the Israeli authorities in 1967, and the Al Buraq area and Al Maghariba Gate of the mosque.
The Foundation said that the aim of digging these tunnels and building the elevators is to "deliver a greater number of Jewish settlers to the Western Wall and the doors of Al-Aqsa Mosque, especially the Al Maghariba Gate, through which foreign tourists and Jewish groups can storm into the Al Aqsa Mosque."
The Foundation considered this to be "a judaization project through which Israel seeks to Judaize the Al Aqsa Mosque."
It added that, during a tour it conducted Tuesday, November 17, it found works of deep excavations, by the so-called Israeli Antiquities Authority, in the Al Sharaf alley tens of meters west of the Al-Aqsa Mosque. During these excavation works, historical and archaeological monuments, dating back to Ottoman and Mumluke eras, were being destroyed and obliterated.
The Al Aqsa Foundation for Endowments and Heritage had revealed in a media report on March 3, 2009 the intention of the occupation authorities and its executive arms to dig two new tunnels, one of them 56 meters long and the other 22 meters, in order to link the Palestinian Al Sharaf Alley, in the Old City, to Jerusalem.
It also revealed the Israeli authorities' intention to install an electric elevator in the vertical tunnel and electric corridor in the horizontal tunnel. The location of these two tunnels is to be the meeting point of several archaeological sites, through which Israel "is trying to develop an illusionary Hebrew history."
It explained that this Judaizational project would cost 10 million shekels (about U.S. $ 2.5 million), and will be implemented in collaboration between the occupation's municipality of Jerusalem, the so-called the Jewish Quarter Preservation and Development Company, the Monuments Authority, and the National Insurance Institute. The project will be funded through donations from Baruch Klein.
Al Sharaf Alley is an Islamic area located inside the boundaries of the Old City with an area of more than 133 square meters. It was occupied by Israel in 1967. It is the closest neighborhood to the Moroccan (Al Maghariba) district, which was destroyed by the Occupation authorities on 11/6/1967, after the fall of Al Sharaf Alley. Thousands of Palestinians were expelled from it, their houses, lands, and real estate properties were confiscated; then, private Israeli companies were immediately established. These companies seized the homes, real estate properties and lands of the area and housed the Jewish settlers and built new homes. They changed its name into the Jewish Quarter - and only a handful of Palestinians were left in it, in addition to two mosques - one of them is closed and the other is open only for Dhur (noon) and Asr (mid-afternoon) prayers, with the Azan (call to prayer) being banned.
November 19, 2009
The Al Aqsa Foundation for Endowments and Heritage revealed that the Israeli occupation authorities began excavation works at Al Sharaf alley, tens of meters west of the Al Aqsa Mosque, in preparation for the construction of two tunnels and two electric elevators to connect between the alley, which was confiscated by the Israeli authorities in 1967, and the Al Buraq area and Al Maghariba Gate of the mosque.
The Foundation said that the aim of digging these tunnels and building the elevators is to "deliver a greater number of Jewish settlers to the Western Wall and the doors of Al-Aqsa Mosque, especially the Al Maghariba Gate, through which foreign tourists and Jewish groups can storm into the Al Aqsa Mosque."
The Foundation considered this to be "a judaization project through which Israel seeks to Judaize the Al Aqsa Mosque."
It added that, during a tour it conducted Tuesday, November 17, it found works of deep excavations, by the so-called Israeli Antiquities Authority, in the Al Sharaf alley tens of meters west of the Al-Aqsa Mosque. During these excavation works, historical and archaeological monuments, dating back to Ottoman and Mumluke eras, were being destroyed and obliterated.
The Al Aqsa Foundation for Endowments and Heritage had revealed in a media report on March 3, 2009 the intention of the occupation authorities and its executive arms to dig two new tunnels, one of them 56 meters long and the other 22 meters, in order to link the Palestinian Al Sharaf Alley, in the Old City, to Jerusalem.
It also revealed the Israeli authorities' intention to install an electric elevator in the vertical tunnel and electric corridor in the horizontal tunnel. The location of these two tunnels is to be the meeting point of several archaeological sites, through which Israel "is trying to develop an illusionary Hebrew history."
It explained that this Judaizational project would cost 10 million shekels (about U.S. $ 2.5 million), and will be implemented in collaboration between the occupation's municipality of Jerusalem, the so-called the Jewish Quarter Preservation and Development Company, the Monuments Authority, and the National Insurance Institute. The project will be funded through donations from Baruch Klein.
Al Sharaf Alley is an Islamic area located inside the boundaries of the Old City with an area of more than 133 square meters. It was occupied by Israel in 1967. It is the closest neighborhood to the Moroccan (Al Maghariba) district, which was destroyed by the Occupation authorities on 11/6/1967, after the fall of Al Sharaf Alley. Thousands of Palestinians were expelled from it, their houses, lands, and real estate properties were confiscated; then, private Israeli companies were immediately established. These companies seized the homes, real estate properties and lands of the area and housed the Jewish settlers and built new homes. They changed its name into the Jewish Quarter - and only a handful of Palestinians were left in it, in addition to two mosques - one of them is closed and the other is open only for Dhur (noon) and Asr (mid-afternoon) prayers, with the Azan (call to prayer) being banned.
Saturday, November 21, 2009
Hamas vows to win Palestinian rights by resistance
Thu, 19 Nov 2009 15:38:46 GMT
Hamas political chief Khaled Meshaal vows of planning a new political initiative that would discard vain negotiations and instead adopt resistance to redress Palestinian rights.
"Not much hope could be upheld for a future Palestinian state as long as the Zionist occupation persists; Israel pushes ahead with plans to build more homes for Jewish settlers in East Jerusalem Al-Quds as well as the West Bank; and Palestinians are shorn of the right to free decision-making," Meshaal told al-Jazeera TV network on Wednesday.
The Hamas also noted that it was no surprise to hear that the so-called peace process with Israel has completely failed due to the 'Zionist obstinate refusal' to withhold commitments, the unswerving US support for Israel, and the bitter rifts among Palestinian factions and Arab weaknesses .
"The only way out of the current ordeal is the unanimous Palestinian factions' adoption of the resistance option," Meshaal said, describing the declaration of a Palestinian state as deceptive since there could be no independent state until the occupied lands are entirely liberated.
Speaking at a televised speech in the West Bank City of Ramallah on November 5, the 74-year-old acting Palestinian Authority Chief Mahmoud Abbas blamed Israel for the collapse of the political process, saying that the Palestinian Authority has carried out all its commitments and obligations while Israel continues to steal Palestinian land and build Jewish settlements.
This is while Israel gave approval on Tuesday for the construction of hundreds of new housing units in illegally annexed East Jerusalem Al-Quds, drawing international criticism as it drove another stake into troubled Middle East 'peace' efforts.
Calling the plan for construction of 900 new units in Gilo settlement as 'illegal', UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon appealed to Israel to respect its commitments to cease all settlement activity under the Road Map.
Under the 2002 Roadmap for a 'Peace plan' brokered by the united States, the European Union, the United Nations, and Russia, Israel has to 'dismantle settlement outposts erected since 2001 and also freeze all settlement activities.'
It is estimated that there are almost 200,000 illegal Jewish settlers in the twelve or so Israeli settlements in Jerusalem Al-Quds. There are also about 300,000 more illegal Jewish settlers living in settlements across the occupied Palestinian territory of West Bank.
MP/MB
Hamas political chief Khaled Meshaal vows of planning a new political initiative that would discard vain negotiations and instead adopt resistance to redress Palestinian rights.
"Not much hope could be upheld for a future Palestinian state as long as the Zionist occupation persists; Israel pushes ahead with plans to build more homes for Jewish settlers in East Jerusalem Al-Quds as well as the West Bank; and Palestinians are shorn of the right to free decision-making," Meshaal told al-Jazeera TV network on Wednesday.
The Hamas also noted that it was no surprise to hear that the so-called peace process with Israel has completely failed due to the 'Zionist obstinate refusal' to withhold commitments, the unswerving US support for Israel, and the bitter rifts among Palestinian factions and Arab weaknesses .
"The only way out of the current ordeal is the unanimous Palestinian factions' adoption of the resistance option," Meshaal said, describing the declaration of a Palestinian state as deceptive since there could be no independent state until the occupied lands are entirely liberated.
Speaking at a televised speech in the West Bank City of Ramallah on November 5, the 74-year-old acting Palestinian Authority Chief Mahmoud Abbas blamed Israel for the collapse of the political process, saying that the Palestinian Authority has carried out all its commitments and obligations while Israel continues to steal Palestinian land and build Jewish settlements.
This is while Israel gave approval on Tuesday for the construction of hundreds of new housing units in illegally annexed East Jerusalem Al-Quds, drawing international criticism as it drove another stake into troubled Middle East 'peace' efforts.
Calling the plan for construction of 900 new units in Gilo settlement as 'illegal', UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon appealed to Israel to respect its commitments to cease all settlement activity under the Road Map.
Under the 2002 Roadmap for a 'Peace plan' brokered by the united States, the European Union, the United Nations, and Russia, Israel has to 'dismantle settlement outposts erected since 2001 and also freeze all settlement activities.'
It is estimated that there are almost 200,000 illegal Jewish settlers in the twelve or so Israeli settlements in Jerusalem Al-Quds. There are also about 300,000 more illegal Jewish settlers living in settlements across the occupied Palestinian territory of West Bank.
MP/MB
Friday, November 20, 2009
Jordanians demonstrate against Israeli measures in Jerusalem
Fri, 20 Nov 2009 17:34:12 GMT
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Amman - About 3,000 Jordanians demonstrated in Amman on Friday to protest what they called an Israeli conspiracy against al-Aqsa Mosque in East Jerusalem, which the Jewish state seized from Jordan in the 1967 Middle East war. The rally, organized by the influential Muslim Brotherhood movement and its political arm the Islamic Action Front (IAF), was held under the slogan "al-Aqsa in Danger".
Participants condemned Arab and Muslim governments for their failure to challenge Israeli attempts to "Judaize" East Jerusalem.
The protesters also claimed that Israel would attempt eventually to demolish al-Aqsa Mosque to rebuild the biblical Solomon's temple in its place.
Speakers during the rally called on the Jordanian government to sever diplomatic ties with Israel and urged Arab countries to back "resistance" against Israeli occupation.
The Jordanian government concluded a peace treaty with Israel in 1994, but the Islamic-led opposition parties and the country's 14 trade unions are still against the pace pact and the normalization of ties with Israel.
Under the provisions of the pact, Israel acknowledged Amman's right to look after all Islamic and Christian holy shrines in East Jerusalem.
A series of raids into al-Aqsa Mosque by Israeli troops over the past months prompted the Jordanian government to accuse Israel of failing to honour its commitments under international law as an occupation power.
Print this article email this article Comment on this article
Amman - About 3,000 Jordanians demonstrated in Amman on Friday to protest what they called an Israeli conspiracy against al-Aqsa Mosque in East Jerusalem, which the Jewish state seized from Jordan in the 1967 Middle East war. The rally, organized by the influential Muslim Brotherhood movement and its political arm the Islamic Action Front (IAF), was held under the slogan "al-Aqsa in Danger".
Participants condemned Arab and Muslim governments for their failure to challenge Israeli attempts to "Judaize" East Jerusalem.
The protesters also claimed that Israel would attempt eventually to demolish al-Aqsa Mosque to rebuild the biblical Solomon's temple in its place.
Speakers during the rally called on the Jordanian government to sever diplomatic ties with Israel and urged Arab countries to back "resistance" against Israeli occupation.
The Jordanian government concluded a peace treaty with Israel in 1994, but the Islamic-led opposition parties and the country's 14 trade unions are still against the pace pact and the normalization of ties with Israel.
Under the provisions of the pact, Israel acknowledged Amman's right to look after all Islamic and Christian holy shrines in East Jerusalem.
A series of raids into al-Aqsa Mosque by Israeli troops over the past months prompted the Jordanian government to accuse Israel of failing to honour its commitments under international law as an occupation power.
Sunday, November 15, 2009
Israeli army rabbi urges 'no mercy' in war
Sun, 15 Nov 2009 17:00:53 GMT
The Israeli Army's chief rabbi has called on military students to 'show no mercy' when they fight a war or they will be "damned."
"In times of war, whoever doesn't fight with all his heart and soul is damned, if he keeps his sword from bloodshed, if he shows mercy toward his enemy when no mercy should be shown," The Israeli daily Haaretz quoted Brig. Gen. Avichai Rontzki as saying at the Hesder yeshiva in the occupied West Bank.
"Cursed be he that doeth the work of the Lord with a slack hand, and cursed be he that keepeth back his sword from blood," added the rabbi.
Regarding the Israeli three week war on the Gaza Strip last December, the army rabbi hailed the military's performance which led to the death of at least 1,350 people including women and children.
"Everyone fought with all their heart and soul, and that includes bravery of course, but also fighting with all the resources one has, to fight as if to truly determine the mission," he reiterated.
Rontzki, who had also sanctioned the killing of Palestinian civilians during the Gaza war, drew harsh criticism form human rights groups.
During the war, some other leading rabbis also issued rulings that gave free hands to Israeli commanders to attack the civilian population in Gaza.
The Israeli Army's chief rabbi has called on military students to 'show no mercy' when they fight a war or they will be "damned."
"In times of war, whoever doesn't fight with all his heart and soul is damned, if he keeps his sword from bloodshed, if he shows mercy toward his enemy when no mercy should be shown," The Israeli daily Haaretz quoted Brig. Gen. Avichai Rontzki as saying at the Hesder yeshiva in the occupied West Bank.
"Cursed be he that doeth the work of the Lord with a slack hand, and cursed be he that keepeth back his sword from blood," added the rabbi.
Regarding the Israeli three week war on the Gaza Strip last December, the army rabbi hailed the military's performance which led to the death of at least 1,350 people including women and children.
"Everyone fought with all their heart and soul, and that includes bravery of course, but also fighting with all the resources one has, to fight as if to truly determine the mission," he reiterated.
Rontzki, who had also sanctioned the killing of Palestinian civilians during the Gaza war, drew harsh criticism form human rights groups.
During the war, some other leading rabbis also issued rulings that gave free hands to Israeli commanders to attack the civilian population in Gaza.
Hamas says Israel lobbying against Gaza
14:19, November 15, 2009
Islamic Hamas movement on Saturday accused Israel of lobbying against the Gaza Strip to launch a military operation in the Hamas-controlled enclave.
"There are escalating Israeli intentions toward aggressive act against Gaza," said Fawzi Barhoum, a Hamas spokesman, in a written statement sent to the press.
His remarks were made after an Israeli newspaper on Friday reported that Hamas has test-fired another long-range missile that could fly for 75 kilometers, putting farther Israeli communities at risk.
"These reports come as part of the incitement against Gaza and the searching for pretexts to commit new crimes here and cover the crimes Israel had committed in the past," Barhoum added.
Barhoum called on the Arab and Muslim states "to sever all their ties with Israel in response to its threats against Gaza."
Members of the military wing of Hamas' movement fired the rocket to the sea from northern Gaza Strip Friday afternoon and the test has succeeded, Maariv daily reported on its website.
The rocket is the second one to be tested this month. Earlier, Israeli military intelligence chief Amos Yadlin revealed that Hamas had fired what it seemed to be an Iranian-made rocket.
Source: Xinhua
Islamic Hamas movement on Saturday accused Israel of lobbying against the Gaza Strip to launch a military operation in the Hamas-controlled enclave.
"There are escalating Israeli intentions toward aggressive act against Gaza," said Fawzi Barhoum, a Hamas spokesman, in a written statement sent to the press.
His remarks were made after an Israeli newspaper on Friday reported that Hamas has test-fired another long-range missile that could fly for 75 kilometers, putting farther Israeli communities at risk.
"These reports come as part of the incitement against Gaza and the searching for pretexts to commit new crimes here and cover the crimes Israel had committed in the past," Barhoum added.
Barhoum called on the Arab and Muslim states "to sever all their ties with Israel in response to its threats against Gaza."
Members of the military wing of Hamas' movement fired the rocket to the sea from northern Gaza Strip Friday afternoon and the test has succeeded, Maariv daily reported on its website.
The rocket is the second one to be tested this month. Earlier, Israeli military intelligence chief Amos Yadlin revealed that Hamas had fired what it seemed to be an Iranian-made rocket.
Source: Xinhua
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